updated 10:45 am EDT, Mon March 28, 2011

AmEx Serve gives Android, Facebook, IOS payments

American Express dipped into digital payments on Monday by unveiling Serve. The approach gives Android and iOS devices, as well as Facebook, a way to to pay friends or bills without having a traditional credit or debit card. It can be loaded up with credit or debit but also works with direct bank accounts and direct-from-Serve payments.

The approach is also a way of giving younger owners a way of paying for goods without a credit card. In addition to the online method, Serve users can get a prepaid card that works like an AmEx card for retail stores. Parents can create sub-accounts that they can track to make sure a teen is keeping spending in check.

The core app is free and available today for both Android 1.6 or later (Market) as well as iPhones and iPods running at least iOS 3.0 (App Store).